July 2008

… what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God?
- Micah 6:8

I am back in Korea in mission service after six months of staff assignment in Louisville. I’m with Haejung in the same house and the same time zone.  We are back at the same table sharing meals, and we can share stories face to face rather than through the Internet using headsets.

My assignment as interim coordinator for the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance ended with the conclusion of the biannual General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in San Jose. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served the church in a different role during the past six months, but am also grateful for the freedom to return to my field assignment. I pray what I learned during the time working in the office will make me a better servant of Jesus.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is a ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It is the main arm of the Church reaching out with the compassion of Jesus to those who are suffering the effect of natural and man-made disasters. PDA relies on the gifts of Church members and friends for its ministry—not only on financial gifts but also on their labor of love and their mission networks. As a part of the body, PDA’s responsibilities include helping Presbyterians to share their compassion in appropriate ways, including volunteer services.

I supported PDA in the field for several years, but I was only at the field level and in one disaster site at a time. Being at the hot seat for all disaster responses was a quite different experience. Thanks to the dedicated staff and our partners in and out of the Church we were able to respond to an unprecedented season of disasters: tornados, wild fires, record-breaking flooding, mass killings in the United States, the Myanmar cyclone, the Chinese earthquake, and there were also food security issues and continuing responses to Katrina and the tsunami. It certainly was not a picnic, but by the grace of God we were able to respond to the urgent needs. Most of these responses are continuing, and I was able to leave the office relying on the faithfulness of God.

There were moments when Haejung and I were convinced, with the encouragement of others, that now is the time for us to come in from the field and serve the Church from its headquarters in Louisville. We even made some arrangements to make my living arrangements in Louisville a more permanent one. But events beyond our control prompted us to evaluate the opportunities again, and we concluded that God has us exactly where he wants us: in Daejeon, Korea. It was a discernment process that yielded a very positive confirmation of our current call. My experience with PDA during the past six months and the experience of living apart will improve our personal and working relationships with other children of God. I learned that I do not have in me the necessary ingredients to “to do justice, and to love kindness,” but I trust that anything is possible when I walk humbly with the Lord. While we lift up justice and love much, we pray that we walk with God in humility.

My first priority is to get back into the rhythm of missionary life and write regular letters sharing our lives rather than multitudes of office memos. In the office had to put emphasis on completing the tasks at hand, but hope that I now bring a clearer perspective on relationships and partnership. We may not always have the luxury of moving at our own pace, but we hope to slow down enough to hear God’s voice and to feel the needs of our neighbors.

It is extremely hot here in Daejeon, but many trees surrounding our house provide welcome relief, a special privilege in a city where most people live in the concrete jungle. It is indeed good to be home and enjoy a few days of inactivity without feeling guilty.

I am ready to get back to regular letter writing. Talk to you soon. 

Simon

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, 101